Long-Term Consistency Beats Short-Term Intensity

Success is not just about capital appreciation but maturity appreciation as well.

Almost every day, there are new social media group chats about investment and money management being created but only few of them last for more than six months. People are energetic with their light bulb ideas, but how to sustain that enthusiasm is the real challenge. Every month I do a financial literacy seminar for more than 50 participants. But following the path of these people after the whole day event will clearly tell you that only few of them have real endurance in wanting to be successful. We love to start things all the time but we rarely “finish” them. Bruce Lee, the famous martial artist, and movie star once said, “Long-term consistency beats short-term intensity.”

One OFW seminar attendee approached me after my talk. She was elated by the topics she heard from my seminar to the point she even cried while she was talking to me. “Sir Chris I feel so stupid about doing all those money mistakes I committed. I know it was wrong, but I can’t understand myself I still do it. But now I promise myself that I will follow all the learnings I got from you and religiously invest for my future,” she said.

So, I asked her, “How about if you go back to your old habits? What will happen then?” The woman simply replied that she will just do it all over again.

It’s easy to say we are willing to start. But when the energy and hype are all gone, what are we going to do? We will just look for another way to motivate ourselves. What we fail to realize is that what really matters is how to stay on course to the things you are doing even when the motivation wears off. This is where most people seeking financial freedom fail. They easily let go of the habit of saving and investing when the rush of the feel-good dopamine subsides. They will sign for costly insurance policy product without realizing that terminating it early on will cost them almost all the money they put in. How many mutual fund accounts had been opened with a minimum of P5,000.00 but after five years, not even a single peso was added on it. They sign-up for a stock market account, but the money they put in was not even used to buy stocks. Enthusiasm is common—everyone starts something. But the endurance of actually following the financial plan to completion is very rare.

This is how financially successful people make a difference. They stay committed even when they are bored, lonely, unmotivated, or even fearful of what is happening in the market. If you ask them what keeps them going when the going is tough, they will simply say that everything is on the other fence of boredom, hard work, and struggle. Their level of success is directly proportional to their willingness to endure challenges.

That’s why having a financial planner with you during your journey will spell a great discipline in achieving your financial goals. If you have good access with him who can also remind you to stay on track with your financial goals, you will be surprised how great you will accomplish every year when you do your annual review. Many of the people who subscribed to this kind of program with me, thank themselves for they are now enjoying the things that were once a dream for them. Steve Jobs once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separated the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

Financial success comes after when you experience market recession, crash, or worse even scam. Success is not just about capital appreciation but maturity appreciation as well. Maturity in the market comes when you know you are signing a new opportunity that will yield not just a short-term return but something that will add up to your value. It’s easy to take action to a popular stock and investment scheme. Everyone can produce some sort of action towards a goal. People do it all the time. But the right action, one that is based on a well-designed but boring financial plan, is rare.

Capt. Christopher G. Cervantes is a registered financial planner of RFP Philippines. He is a seafarer for more than 15 years and author of the best-selling book Financial Planning for the Fast Changing World.